The season opener on Monday Night Football in Foxboro. Early on, Steve Grogan looks extremely sharp as the Pats march down the field and score on their opening drive. But Pittsburgh's pass rush intensifies as the game progresses and a great diving INT by Lambert sets up what would have been the tying TD had Rookie Matt Bahr not missed his first-ever PAT try (Bahr also misses his first FG try). Bradshaw uses Franco and Thornton extensively and while Franco doesn't pile up huge yardage, his amazing cutback ability yields a number of key first downs. Stallworth is outstanding, especially late, and although the hobbling Swann manages only one catch, it's a spectacular leaping, head-over-heals, flipping masterpiece... one for the ages. TE Russ Francis is OUTSTANDING for the Pats with a number of unbelievable grabs and is almost the undoing of the Steelers. The Pats add a pair of FGs and lead 13-6 until Bradshaw (15 of 26, 221 yds) hits a wide open Sidney Thornton in the end zone to tie things up in the final minutes of regulation. Bradshaw alternates handoffs to Franco and Thornton in overtime against the worn-out Pats, and young Matt Bahr gets redemption, nailing a 41-yarder right down the middle to win the game. Features a bit of pregame with Cosell, Meredith, & Gifford.

I thinka case can be made that the late 70s/early 80s Patriots were much bigger underachievers than San Diego in that era.

For all the times Coryell and the Chargers got whipped in the playoffs.... the Patriots couldn't even MAKE the playoffs at the same rate as San Diego (From 1978, 1984, SD made 4 playoff appearances to NE's 2).

An argument can be made New England was more talented than even the Chargers and they squandered their talent in an even more ridiculous degree.

The Patriots' issues in this era wasn't games like this against Pittsburgh- you lose to the Steelers, that's understandable.

But in '79, they had some BAD losses: 45-10 at Denver, MNF at a below average Green Bay team, Buffalo at home in OT, the Jets in week 15.

(06-06-2017, 11:54 AM)Guest Wrote: I thinka case can be made that the late 70s/early 80s Patriots were much bigger underachievers than San Diego in that era.

For all the times Coryell and the Chargers got whipped in the playoffs.... the Patriots couldn't even MAKE the playoffs at the same rate as San Diego (From 1978, 1984, SD made 4 playoff appearances to NE's 2).

An argument can be made New England was more talented than even the Chargers and they squandered their talent in an even more ridiculous degree.

The Patriots' issues in this era wasn't games like this against Pittsburgh- you lose to the Steelers, that's understandable.

But in '79, they had some BAD losses: 45-10 at Denver, MNF at a below average Green Bay team, Buffalo at home in OT, the Jets in week 15.

Nice post. Yeah, the Pats of that era were definitely a roller coaster loaded with talent. I kinda give them a pass just because of the bizarre relationship between Chuck Fairbanks and ownership. I didn't quite get it as a kid and I still don't understand all the nonsense that went on there. The bottom line is that it's tough to be successful when there's hatred between ownership and the coaching staff. The stuff with Fairbanks being suspended before the playoff game in '78 and all that stuff... it was just crazy. And then they sued him after the loss when he quit, and supposedly he quit because ownership screwed Darryl Stingley (who was paralyzed by a Jack Tatum cheap shot late hit in preseason). Crazy stuff.